Communication systems, communication devices, and related methods for routing calls between communication devices having users with different abilities

ABSTRACT

A group routing server, communication devices, and related methods are described. The group routing server may comprise a processor operably coupled with communication elements and memory, and be configured to determine a destination communication device from among a plurality of communication devices to which an incoming call is to be routed, determine whether an assistive communication service is needed for providing interpretive services based, at least in part, on differing communication abilities between a far-end user associated with a far-end communication device initiating the incoming call and a near-end user associated with the destination communication device, route the incoming call to the assistive communication service according to the routing rules if the assistive communication device is determined to be needed, and route the incoming call directly to the communication service according to the routing rules if the assistive communication device is not determined to be needed.

FIELD

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to systems, devices, and methodsfor controlling communication systems and, more particularly, tosystems, devices, and methods for routing calls between communicationdevices having users with different abilities, such as hearing abilitiesor language abilities requiring the use of an assistive communicationservice.

BACKGROUND

Traditional communication systems, such as standard and cellulartelephone systems, enable verbal communications between people atdifferent locations. Communication systems for audibly-impairedindividuals (e.g., individuals with hearing impairments, speechimpairments, or a combination thereof) may also enable non-audiblecommunications instead of, or in addition to, verbal communications.Some communication systems for audibly-impaired individuals enablecommunications between communication devices for audibly-incapableindividuals (e.g., video phones, web cameras, etc.) and communicationsystems for audibly-capable individuals (e.g., standard telephones,cellular phones, etc.). For example, a video relay service (VRS) mayprovide speech to sign language translation services, and sign languageto speech translation services for a communication session between avideo communication device for an audibly-impaired individual and atraditional communication device for an audibly-capable user. In otherwords, the VRS may be used to facilitate a conversation between anaudibly-impaired user and an audibly-capable person.

The audibly-impaired individual may communicate with a communicationassistant (e.g., communicate via sign language), and then thecommunication assistant conveys the message audibly to a far-end user(e.g., an audibly-capable user). For communication in the otherdirection, the communication assistant listens to the audibly-capableuser and then signs what was spoken to the audibly-impaired user. Thecommunication assistant may, therefore, act as a translator for both theaudibly-impaired user (e.g., using sign language) and the far-end user(e.g., communicating via speech communication). Thus, the communicationassistant directly communicates with each of the audibly-impairedindividual and the audibly-capable individual to facilitatecommunication between the audibly-impaired individual and theaudibly-capable individual. By way of example, Sorenson Communications®offers the Ntouch® VP videophone and the VP-200 videophone that utilizethe Sorenson Video Relay Service,® a service that provides sign languageinterpretation to audibly impaired video phone users.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In some embodiments, disclosed is a group routing server comprisingcommunication elements configured to receive an incoming call to a groupunique identifier (ID) associated with an organization having aplurality of communication devices that each have an individual uniqueID, memory having routing rules and an ID database stored thereon, and aprocessor operably coupled with the communication elements and thememory. The processor is configured to determine a destinationcommunication device from among the plurality of communication devicesto which the incoming call is to be routed, determine whether anassistive communication service is needed for providing interpretiveservices based, at least in part, on differing communication abilitiesbetween a far-end user associated with a far-end communication deviceinitiating the incoming call and a near-end user associated with thedestination communication device, route the incoming call to theassistive communication service according to the routing rules if theassistive communication device is determined to be needed, and route theincoming call directly to the communication service according to therouting rules if the assistive communication device is not determined tobe needed.

In some embodiments, disclosed is a method of operating a group routingserver dedicated to a defined group of communication devices within anorganization. The method comprises receiving incoming calls from afar-end communication device to the group routing server, determining adestination communication device from among the defined group ofcommunication devices within the organization, determining a firstcommunication ability of a far-end user associated with the far-end userdevice, determining a second communication ability of a near-end userassociated with the destination communication device, routing theincoming call to an assistive communication service if the firstcommunication ability and the second communication ability aredifferent, and routing the incoming call directly to the destinationcommunication device if the first communication ability and the secondcommunication ability are the same.

In some embodiments, disclosed is a method of operating a communicationdevice that is included within a defined group of communication deviceswithin an organization serviced by a group routing server. The methodcomprises receiving an incoming call routed by the group routing serverto a destination communication device associated with a near-end user,and entering a communication session between the destinationcommunication device and a far-end communication device that initiatedthe incoming call. The communication session is routed through anassistive communication service if communication abilities of thenear-end user and the far-end user are different, and the communicationsession is routed directly to the destination communication device ifcommunication abilities of the near-end user and the far-end user arethe same. The method further comprises transferring the call to anotherdestination communication device within the organization as processed bythe group routing server or another server to determine whether theassistive communication service is needed for the communication sessionthat is transferred to the another destination communication device.

In some embodiments, disclosed is a communication system specificallyconfigured for use by audibly-impaired users to provide interpretiveservices during calls involving at least one audibly-impaired user andat least one audibly-capable user. The communication system comprises aplurality of communication devices, an assistive communication servicehaving communication assistants for providing sign language interpretiveservices for communication sessions involving at least oneaudibly-impaired user and at least one audibly-capable user, and a grouprouting server. Each communication device has an individual uniqueidentifier (ID) and an indication regarding whether the communicationdevice is associated with an audibly-impaired user or an audibly-capableuser. The group routing server has a group unique identifier (ID) for anorganization. The group routing server is configured to receive incomingcalls to the group unique ID from far-end user devices that areassociated with audibly-impaired users, receive incoming calls to thegroup unique ID from far-end user devices that are associated withaudibly-capable users, determine a destination communication device fromamong the plurality of communication devices for a specific incomingcall to be routed, route the specific incoming call directly to thedestination communication device responsive to all participants to thespecific call being determined to be audibly capable, route the specificincoming call directly to the destination communication deviceresponsive to all participants to the specific call being determined tobe audibly impaired, and route the specific incoming call to theassistive communication service responsive at least one participant tothe specific call being determined to be audibly capable, and at leastone other participant to the specific call being determined to beaudibly impaired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a communication system accordingto embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic block diagram of the group routingserver according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a grouprouting server according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating acommunication device with a group routing server according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a grouprouting server that incorporates an automated menu system according toan embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which isillustrated specific embodiments in which the disclosure may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the disclosure. Itshould be understood, however, that the detailed description and thespecific examples, while indicating examples of embodiments of thedisclosure, are given by way of illustration only and not by way oflimitation. From this disclosure, various substitutions, modifications,additions rearrangements, or combinations thereof within the scope ofthe disclosure may be made and will become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art.

In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus,the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus(e.g., device) or method. In addition, like reference numerals may beused to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any ofa variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chipsthat may be referenced throughout the description may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. Some drawingsmay illustrate signals as a single signal for clarity of presentationand description. It should be understood by a person of ordinary skillin the art that the signal may represent a bus of signals, wherein thebus may have a variety of bit widths and the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented on any number of data signals including asingle data signal.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm acts described in connection with embodiments disclosed hereinmay be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, aspecial-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field ProgrammableGate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein.

A processor herein may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, orstate machine suitable for carrying out processes of the disclosure. Aprocessor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices,such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. When configured according toembodiments of the disclosure, a special-purpose computer improves thefunction of a general-purpose computer because, absent the disclosure,the general-purpose computer would not be able to carry out theprocesses of the disclosure. The disclosure also provides meaningfullimitations in one or more particular technical environments that gobeyond an abstract idea. For example, embodiments of the disclosureprovide improvements in the technical field of telecommunications,assistive communication services (e.g., for the audibly-impaired orlanguage barriers), and in particular developing new systems andcommunication devices that improve the operation of such devices.

In addition, it is noted that the embodiments may be described in termsof a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describeoperational acts as a sequential process, many of these acts can beperformed in another sequence, in parallel, or substantiallyconcurrently. In addition, the order of the acts may be re-arranged. Aprocess may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, asubroutine, a subprogram, etc. Furthermore, the methods disclosed hereinmay be implemented in hardware, software, or both. If implemented insoftware, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or morecomputer-readable instructions (e.g., software code) on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another.

It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using adesignation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not limit thequantity or order of those elements, unless such limitation isexplicitly stated. Rather, these designations may be used herein as aconvenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements orinstances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elementsdoes not mean that only two elements may be employed there or that thefirst element must precede the second element in some manner. Also,unless stated otherwise a set of elements may comprise one or moreelements.

As used herein, voice-capable networks and voice-capable equipment meansnetworks and equipment that can process, convey, reproduce, or acombination thereof, sounds in the auditory frequencies as analogsignals, digital signals, or a combination thereof. As non-limitingexamples, such equipment includes conventional telephones, conventionalcellular telephones, and conventional computers or handheld devices withmicrophone and speaker type capabilities. As non-limiting examples, suchnetworks include a telephone network such as the Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN) and other networks that are compatible andconfigured to provide communications using digital standards and datapackets, an example of which includes Voice Over Internet Protocol(VOIP).

As used herein, video-capable networks and video-capable equipment meansnetworks and equipment that can process, convey, reproduce, or acombination thereof, multi-frame images. As non-limiting examples, suchequipment includes conventional cellular telephones with videocapability, and conventional computers or handheld devices with cameraand display type capabilities. As non-limiting examples, such networksinclude cellular networks, WiFi networks, wide area networks, hard wirednetworks and other private data networks configured to providecommunications using digital standards and data packets. To facilitatethe enhanced bandwidth needs of video phones, the video-capable networksmay be implemented as a high bandwidth network such as a DSL, Cable,Ethernet, or other enhanced-bandwidth networking technology.

In general, most video-capable networks would be considered to also bevoice-capable networks and most video-capable equipment would also beconsidered to be voice-capable equipment.

In a typical assistive communication service for users havingdisabilities, a first communication device may be operated by anaudibly-impaired user, and a second communication device may be operatedby an audibly-capable user. Generally, when discussing calls, they arereferred to from the perspective of the group routing server orcommunication devices associated with the group or organization asdiscussed below. Thus, an “incoming call” may originate from a far-enduser to an organization that incorporates a group routing server, andultimately to a near-end communication device of the organization. Ofcourse, it is recognized that “near-end” and “far-end” are relativeterms depending on the perspective of the particular user. Thus, theterms “near-end” and “far-end” are used as a convenient way todistinguish between users and devices.

The term “call” refers to a communication session between communicationendpoints. The term “incoming call” refers to an incoming request for acommunication session to a communication device. These communicationsessions should be considered to include communications such as, voicecommunications, video communications, or a combination thereof.

Embodiments of include systems and methods for controlling communicationsystems and routing calls for audibly-impaired users. It should be notedthat while the utility and application of the various embodiments aredescribed with reference to an audibly-impaired environment, thedisclosure also finds application to any environment where such routingmay be desirable.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a communication system 100according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The communication system100 may include a group routing server 110 and a plurality ofcommunication devices 120A, 120B, 120C. The group routing server 110 maybe coupled with the communication devices 120A, 120B, 120C and aassistive communication service 130. The assistive communication service130 may include a assistive communication service that providesinterpretive services for individuals with hearing impairments. Forexample, the assistive communication service 130 may be a video relayservice (VRS) that provides sign language (e.g., American Sign Language)interpretation for audibly-impaired users while they communicate withaudibly-capable users who cannot communicate through sign language.Through the assistive communication service 130, an audibly-impaireduser communicates with a communication assistant through sign languageover video communication, while the communication assistant communicateswith an audibly-capable user through voice communication. For the videoportion of the call, the assistive communication service 130 may beconfigured to use a session server that administers video communicationsessions using a session initiation protocol (SIP), an H.323 protocol,or other suitable protocol.

The group routing server 110 may be a dedicated server(s) for a definednumber of communication devices 120A, 120B, 120C that are part of acommon group (i.e., organization). For example, the common group maypart of a business, a school, a governmental agency, or other entitythat may have a group of communication devices 120A, 120B, 120C in theircontrol. The group routing server 110 may be configured to receiveincoming calls from far-end communication devices 140A, 140B and toroute the incoming calls to the communication devices 120A, 120B, 120C.The group routing server 110 may be configured to determine whether toinvolve the assistive communication service 130 in the call as will bediscussed further below.

The types of entities that may benefit from such a system may be thoseentities that employ individuals who are audibly-impaired and/or provideservices for audibly-impaired individuals such that at least one of theparties to the call may involve an audibly-impaired user who may needthe translation services provided by the assistive communication service130. In some embodiments, there may be a combination of audibly-impairedusers and audibly-capable users on either side of the call. As a result,the group routing server 110 may be configured to route calls to someusers who are audibly impaired for one call, and other users who areaudibly capable in another call. In addition, the group routing server110 may be configured to receive calls from far-end users who areaudibly impaired or audibly capable during different calls. The grouprouting server 110 may be configured to involve the assistivecommunication service 130 in the call responsive to determining at leastone of each type of user participating in the call, and otherwiserouting the call through without involving the assistive communicationservice 130.

As an example of this operation, the different communication devices120A, 120B, 120C may be operated by different users who have differentabilities. The first communication device 120A and the secondcommunication device 120B may be operated by audibly-impaired users(indicated by the AI notation), and the third communication device 120Cmay be operated by an audibly-capable user (indicated by the ACnotation). Similarly, the far-end communication devices 140A, 140B maybe operated by different users who have different abilities. Forexample, the fourth communication device 140A may be operated by anaudibly-impaired user (indicated by the AI notation), and the fifthcommunication device 140B may be operated by an audibly-capable user(indicated by the AC notation). Thus, calls may have a number ofdifferent combinations of parties participating to a call. In situationswhere there are two parties to a call, the two parties may beaudibly-capable, audibly-impaired, or a combination thereof. Insituations where there may be more than two parties to a call (e.g., aconference call), other combinations may be present depending on thenumber of participants.

Each communication device 120A, 120B, 120C may be assigned its ownindividual unique identifier (ID) 122A, 122B, 122C to which an incomingcall may be routed. The group routing server 110 may also be assignedits own group unique ID 112. For example, an organization may desire toprovide a group number to which outsiders may call as a contact numberfor the organization, after which the call may be routed to thecommunication device for an appropriate individual within theorganization. This may simplify operations for the organization who maybe able to only publish, market, and manage one number.

The individual unique IDs 122A, 122B associated with theaudibly-impaired users may include one or more of a phone number, IPaddress, device name and/or domain, or other similar identifier used bya specific system. Phone numbers may be a 10 digit number according tothe U.S. convention or other type of number for other countries'conventions. In some embodiments, these individual unique IDs 122A, 122Bmay be managed by an Internet-based Telecommunications Relay Service(ITRS) database 155 that provides a directory of the individual uniqueIDs for audibly-impaired users. Thus, the ITRS database 155 enablesrelay service providers the ability to maintain and make available theindividual unique IDs 122A, 122B for their equipment. In someembodiments, each individual unique ID 122A, 122B may be represented indifferent forms (e.g., a phone number and an IP address), and the ITRSdatabase 155 may provide a mapping between the two forms. For example,ITRS database 155 may map a 10-digit phone number to an IP address usingan industry-standard electronic number mapping (ENUM) protocol, in whichthe 10 digit phone number is used to query the database and a uniformresource identifier (URI) is returned. The URI may include an IP addressfor the appropriate communication device to which the call is routed. Insome embodiments, the URI may include a username and domain that can beresolved to an IP address.

The individual unique ID 122C associated with an audibly-capable usermay also include one or more of a phone number, IP address, device nameand/or domain, or other similar identifier used by a specific system.Although, communication devices associated with audibly-capable userstypically include just a phone number associated with the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) that may also have a PSTN database 165maintaining a directory of phone numbers used to perform call routing.As VOIP becomes more and more ubiquitous for calls, the use of IPaddresses may also become more common in all types of calls. So thataudibly-impaired users may receive calls from hearing-capable users, theindividual unique IDs 122A, 122B associated with the hearing-impairedusers' devices may also be registered in the PSTN database 165 for thePSTN 160 to route the calls to the ITRS to route the call to theappropriate destination.

The group unique ID 112 for the group routing server 110 may alsoinclude one or more of a phone number, IP address, device name and/ordomain, or other similar identifier used by a specific system. In someembodiments, the group unique ID 112 may include a phone numberregistered in both the PSTN database 165 and the ITRS database 155. Insome embodiments, the group number may include an IP address orusername/domain that is resolved from a phone number. As a result, thegroup routing server 110 may receive calls from either the ITRS 150 orthe PSTN 160 when the far-end user initiates the call using the groupunique ID 112 regardless of whether the far-end user is audibly-impairedor audibly-capable. Thus, the group routing server 110 may be configuredto receive incoming calls from both PSTN-based communication devices(e.g., telephone, fiber optic, cellular, cable, etc.) and IP-basedcommunication devices (e.g., VOIP).

Depending on whether a communication assistant at the assistivecommunication service 130 is needed (e.g., one party to the call is anaudibly-capable user and another party is an audibly-impaired user), thegroup routing server 110 may be configured to route the call through theassistive communication service 130. If a communication assistant at theassistive communication service 130 is not needed (e.g., all parties areaudibly-capable or all parties are audibly impaired), the group routingserver 110 may be configured to route the call directly to the desirednear-end communication device 120A, 120B, 120C to engage in aperson-to-person communication session.

As an example of operation, the fourth communication device 140A(associated with an audibly-impaired far-end user) may initiate a callby using the group unique ID 112 for the group routing server 110, withthe first communication device 120A (associated with an audibly-impairednear-end user) as the ultimate destination of the call. The grouprouting server 110 may determine that both parties to the call will beaudibly-impaired, and route the call through to the first communicationdevice 120A without involving the assistive communication service 130.As a result, the audibly-impaired users may participate in aperson-to-person video communication session in which they cancommunicate via sign language without needing a communication assistantinterpreter.

As another example of operation, the fourth communication device 140A(associated with an audibly-impaired far-end user) may initiate a callby using the group unique ID 112 for the group routing server 110, withthe third communication device 120C (associated with an audibly-capablenear-end user) as the ultimate destination of the call. The grouprouting server 110 may determine that there is at least one party to thecall who will be audibly-impaired and at least another party who will beaudibly-capable, and route the call to the assistive communicationservice 130 to be involved in the communication session. As a result,the users may participate in an assisted communication session in whichthe communication assistant provides the desired interpretationservices.

As another example of operation, the fifth communication device 140B(associated with an audibly-capable far-end user) may initiate a call byusing the group unique ID 112 for the group routing server 110, with thefirst communication device 120A (associated with an audibly-impairednear-end user) as the ultimate destination of the call. The grouprouting server 110 may determine that there is at least one party to thecall who will be audibly-impaired and at least another party who will beaudibly-capable, and route the call to the assistive communicationservice 130 to be involved in the communication session. As a result,the users may participate in an assisted communication session in whichthe communication assistant provides the desired interpretationservices.

As an example of operation, the fifth communication device 140B(associated with an audibly-capable far-end user) may initiate a call byusing the group unique ID 112 for the group routing server 110, with thethird communication device 120C (associated with an audibly-capablenear-end user) as the ultimate destination of the call. The grouprouting server 110 may determine that both parties to the call will beaudibly-capable, and route the call through to the third communicationdevice 120C without involving the assistive communication service 130.As a result, the audibly-capable users may participate in aperson-to-person video communication session in which they cancommunicate via sign language without needing a communication assistantinterpreter.

In some embodiments, the call may be transferred between thecommunication devices 120A, 120B, 120C within the organization. Forexample, the group unique ID 112 may cause an incoming call to be firstreceived by a receptionist or other operator who may then transfer thecall to the desired communication device 120A, 120B, 120C. The grouprouting server 110 may be configured to determine whether the assistivecommunication service 130 is needed for the call with the receptionist,and route the call to the assistive communication service 130 as needed.If the receptionist transfers the call to another user, the grouprouting server 110 may again determine if the assistive communicationservice 130 is needed for the call with the new near-end user. Othersituations for transferring calls are contemplated, includingtransferring calls that were received by the wrong party or for whichanother individual would be more appropriate to handle the call. In somesystems, the call may be received first by an automated menu systembefore being routed to a live individual. These situations will bediscussed further below.

In some situations, the far-end user may know the individual unique ID122A, 122B, 122C as a direct number (e.g., bypassing a receptionist orautomated menu system). In some embodiments, the call may be sentdirectly to the corresponding communication device 120A, 120B, 120Cwithout being received by the group routing server 110. In such anembodiment, the determination for whether or not to involve theassistive communication service 130 may be performed by the ITRS 150according to its conventional operations. In some embodiments, however,the routing rules of the ITRS 150 may be altered such that all calls fora given organization are first received by the group routing server 110but with the identification of the direct ID being used. As a result,the group routing server 110 may perform the determination regardinginvolvement of the assistive communication service 130 whileautomatically routing the call to directly the correspondingcommunication device 120A, 120B, 120C instead of the normal procedure(e.g., receptionist, automated menu system, etc.) if the group unique ID112 of the group routing server 110 were used.

Of course, it should be recognized that there could be any number ofcommunication devices depending on the size of the organization for thecommon group. Three communication devices 120A, 120B, 120C is shownherein merely as an example. Each communication device 120A, 120B, 120Cmay include control circuitry (e.g., processor, memory, etc.) operablycoupled to communication elements (e.g., transmitter, receiver,transceiver, wired/wireless interfaces, etc.) to control operationsthereof. Each communication device 120A, 120B, 120C may also includeother elements such as microphones, speakers, cameras, electronicdisplays, input devices (e.g., remote control, keypad, touch screen),etc. to facilitate communication depending on its configuration foraudibly-impaired users or audibly-capable users.

It should also be recognized that an organization may have multiplegroup routing servers 110, each with their own group unique ID 112. Forexample, the organization may publish different numbers for differentdepartments within the same organization. For example, a technicalsupport number may assigned to a first group routing server, a billingnumber may be assigned to a second group routing server, a sales numbermay be assigned to a third group routing server, and so on. Each ofthese group routing servers may manage a group of communication devicesas discussed above. In some embodiments, different group routing serversmay be configured to have the ability to route calls to the samecommunication device (e.g., the user has responsibilities in multipleareas). In some embodiments, the different group routing servers may beconfigured to have the ability to transfer calls to each other. Forexample, if an outside caller calls the sales number when they needassistance from technical support.

In some embodiments, the assistive communication service 130 may be alanguage service that provides translation services if the parties tothe call do not speak the same language. For example, one party of thecall may speak English and another party may speak Spanish. The call mayinclude information (e.g., metadata) that indicates the language of thecaller such that the group routing server 110 may also check thelanguage of the two parties, and route the call to a language assistivecommunication service if the two parties to the call do not have thesame language capabilities. In some embodiments, the language of thecaller may be determined based on a country of origin. For example, anorganization may receive calls from foreign countries where the callingparty may speak a different language than the person who is intended tobe the recipient of the call.

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic block diagram of the group routingserver 110 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As discussedabove, the group routing server 110 may be configured to manage incomingcalls from both audibly-capable or audibly-impaired far-end users to agroup number for a defined set of communication devices of a group. Thegroup routing server 110 is also configured to route the incoming callsto an assistive communication service based on the capabilities of theintended parties for the call. The group routing server 110 may includea processor 210 operably coupled with communication elements 220 andmemory 230.

The communication elements 220 may be configured to receive the incomingcalls to the group routing server 110, such as from either PSTN-basedcommunication devices (e.g., telephone, fiber optic, cellular, cable,etc.) or IP-based communication devices (e.g., VOIP). The communicationelements 220 may also be configured to transmit the routed calls toeither the assistive communication service 130 or the communicationdevices 120A, 120B, 120C as determined by the routing rules 234 of thegroup routing server 110.

The memory 230 may have an ID database 232 and routing rules 234 storedtherein. The ID database 232 may include a list of the individual uniqueIDs 122A, 122B, 122C managed by the group routing server 110 within theorganization, as well as whether or not the corresponding communicationdevice 120A, 120B, 120C is specifically configured for use by anaudibly-impaired user. The memory 230 may also include instructionsstored therein for execution by the processor to control the operationthereof.

The processor 210 may be configured to determine whether the parties tothe call are either audibly capable or audibly impaired. In someembodiments, the determination for the destination user (i.e., near-enduser) may be based, at least in part, on the information stored in theID database 232 for the organization. In some embodiments, thedetermination for the origination user (i.e., far-end user) may bebased, at least in part, on detecting whether the call is received fromthe ITRS 150 or the PSTN 160. In some embodiments, the determination forthe origination user may be based, at least in part, on additional datatransmitted with the call. For example, the signaling involved with thecall (e.g., using SIP), metadata, etc. may inform the group routingserver 110 if the call originates from an audibly-capable user or anaudibly-impaired user.

As discussed above, the processor 210 may be configured to route callsto a common destination (e.g., receptionist, automated menu system,etc.) in the first instance, after which calls may be furthertransferred to a desired destination after further information isreceived. In some embodiments, additional information may be transmittedwith the incoming call itself that may be used by the processor 210 toroute the call to a desired destination. For example, a direct dialnumber may have been used to initiate the call. In another example, datafrom the far-end communication device may be transmitted with the call.For example, health data (e.g., reboots, crashes, login issues, etc.)stored by the far-end communication device may be transmitted with theincoming call which may indicate that the call should be routed directlyto a technical support representative without going through areceptionist or automated menu system. Of course, the determination mayalso be made as to whether the assistive communication service 130should be included in the call. As discussed above, the far-endcommunication device may know the language (e.g., Spanish) of thefar-end user such that the processor 210 may automatically route thecall to the appropriate destination communication device with a user whocould handle that call. If a language assistive communication service isavailable, the call could be routed to such a language assistivecommunication service to provide interpretive services if the twoparties to the call do not have the same language capabilities.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 illustrating a method for operating a grouprouting server according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Atoperation 310, an incoming call is received by a group routing serverfrom a far-end user. As discussed above, the group routing server may beaddressed by a group number for an organization a having plurality ofcommunication devices. The group routing server may determine which ofthe communication devices should be the destination device. At operation320, the group routing server may determine whether a assistivecommunication service is needed for the call. This determination may bemade based on routing rules stored by the group routing server as wellas information about the intended parties on each side of the call.

For example, if it is determined that the originator is anaudibly-capable user and the destination user is an audibly-impaireduser, the assistive communication service may be needed. Similarly, ifit is determined that the originator is an audibly-impaired user and thedestination user is an audibly-capable user, the assistive communicationservice may be needed. As a result, the call may be routed to theassistive communication service at operation 330 so that an interpretermay join the call to provide sign language translation between theparticipants to the call.

For example, if it is determined that the originator is anaudibly-capable user and the destination user is an audibly-capableuser, the assistive communication service may not be needed. Similarly,if it is determined that the originator is an audibly-impaired user andthe destination user is an audibly-impaired user, the assistivecommunication service may not be needed. As a result, the call may berouted directly to the desired destination communication device atoperation 340 so that the participants to the call communicate in aperson-to-person communication session without the need for theassistive communication service. For a person-to-person communicationbetween audibly-impaired users, the communication devices may includevideo phones for the audibly-impaired users to communicate via signlanguage using video. For a person-to-person communication betweenaudibly-capable users, the communication devices may include phones forthe audibly-capable users to communicate via voice, which may or may notalso include a video feed. As discussed above, the assistivecommunication service may provide other forms of language translation insome embodiments, such as if the two parties to a call do not speak thesame language (e.g., English, Spanish, etc.). If the parties do speakthe same language, such a language translation service may not beneeded.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 illustrating a method for operating acommunication device with a group routing server according to anembodiment of the disclosure. In particular, the method shows anoperation for transferring a call from one communication device toanother communication device within an organization that uses the grouprouting server.

At operation 410, the communication device may receive the incomingcall. The incoming call may or may not include the assistivecommunication service depending on the determination made by the grouprouting server (as described by FIG. 3).

At operation 420, the communication device may enter the communicationsession. At some point during the communication session, the near-enduser may desire to transfer the call. For example, the near-end user maybe a receptionist that may be situated to receive calls initially beforetransferring calls on to other individuals within the organization. Insome situations, the near-end user may have received the call by mistakeor otherwise determine that a different individual within theorganization may be better suited to handle the call. In any of thesesituations, the communication device may initiate the transfer which maythen be processed (i.e., facilitated) by the group routing server atoperation 440 in that the group routing server may determine if theassistive communication service is needed for the new desired party tothe call according to the routing rules discussed above. In someembodiments, the communication device or group routing server may routethe call to another routing server to determine if the assistivecommunication device is needed for the new desired party and process thetransfer.

In some embodiments, transferring a call may terminate the communicationsession with the assistive communication service even if the assistivecommunication service is used before and after the transfer. In such anembodiment, the connection with the assistive communication service maybe terminated while the group routing server determines whether or not anew session should be initiated. The result of such an embodiment may bethat a different communication assistant is used before and after thecall transfer.

In some embodiments, transferring a call may not result in terminatingthe communication session with the assistive communication service whenthe assistive communication service is used before and after thetransfer. In such an embodiment, the assistive communication service andthe group routing server may negotiate a handoff between thecommunication assistant and the device that is going to be part of thecommunication session. The result of such an embodiment may be that thesame communication assistant may be used before and after the calltransfer.

If a call transfer is not initiated, the communication device may simplyremain in the communication session at operation 450 until thecommunication is terminated.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 illustrating a method for operating a grouprouting server that incorporates an automated menu system according toan embodiment of the disclosure. The automated menu system may includeat least one of an interactive voice response (IVR) system and aninteractive voice and video (IVVR) system. The IVR system may beconfigured to detect voice and/or touch tones to move through a menu ofoptions that may be pre-recorded and/or dynamically generated to directcallers on how to proceed. The IVVR system may provide similarfunctionality along with additional video contents and video callingcapabilities. Such video contents may include instructions providedusing sign language and the ability to automatically detect certaingestures or provide other input options for an audibly-impaired user toadvance through the menu.

At operation 510, the incoming call may be received by the group routingserver. At operation 520, the group routing server may determine whethervideo is needed for the call with the far-end user. For example, thegroup routing server may detect if the call originated from acommunication device associated with an audibly-impaired user. In someembodiments, the detection may be based on similar factors as discussedabove for whether the assistive communication service is needed (e.g.,whether the call was received from ITRS or PSTN, signaling, metadata, orother methods to determine the abilities of the far-end user).

At operation 530, the call may be routed to the IVVR system if it isdetermined that video is needed. At operation 540, the call may berouted to the IVR system if it is determined that video is not needed.In some embodiments, the determination for video being needed may notsolely be based on whether the far-end user is audibly-impaired. Forexample, audibly-capable users may have equipment that is capable ofviewing video from an IVVR system such that an IVVR system may beoffered to audibly-capable users. In such a system, a third option maybe used during operation 520 that determines whether an IVVR system isused that has sign language capabilities or that does not have signlanguage capabilities. Such a determination may be determined based, atleast in part, on the abilities of the user.

At operation 550, the call may be transferred to a selected ID. Forexample, at some point during the operation of the automated menu system(e.g., whether IVR or IVVR), the far-end user may be transferred out ofthe automated system and transferred to a live user.

At operation 560, the group routing server may determine whether theassistive communication service is needed for a call between the far-enduser and the live user. The call may be routed to the assistivecommunication service (operation 570) if needed or to the communicationdevice (operation 580) if the assistive communication service is notneeded in a manner similar to what is described above with respect toFIG. 3.

While certain illustrative embodiments have been described in connectionwith the figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize andappreciate that embodiments encompassed by the disclosure are notlimited to those embodiments explicitly shown and described herein.Rather, many additions, deletions, and modifications to the embodimentsdescribed herein may be made without departing from the scope ofembodiments encompassed by the disclosure, such as those hereinafterclaimed, including legal equivalents. In addition, features from onedisclosed embodiment may be combined with features of another disclosedembodiment while still being encompassed within the scope of embodimentsencompassed by the disclosure as contemplated by the inventors.

What is claimed is:
 1. A group routing server, comprising: communicationelements configured to receive an incoming call to a group uniqueidentifier (ID) associated with an organization having a plurality ofcommunication devices that each have an individual unique ID; memoryhaving routing rules and an ID database stored thereon; and a processoroperably coupled with the communication elements and the memory, theprocessor configured to: determine a destination communication devicefrom among the plurality of communication devices to which the incomingcall is to be routed; determine whether an assistive communicationservice is needed for providing interpretive services based, at least inpart, on differing communication abilities between a far-end userassociated with a far-end communication device initiating the incomingcall and a near-end user associated with the destination communicationdevice; route the incoming call to the assistive communication serviceaccording to the routing rules if the assistive communication device isdetermined to be needed; and route the incoming call directly to thecommunication service according to the routing rules if the assistivecommunication device is not determined to be needed.
 2. The grouprouting server of claim 1, wherein the assistive communication serviceincludes a video relay service including a communication assistant forproviding sign language translation for an audibly-impaired userparticipating in a communication session established between the far-endcommunication device and the destination communication device.
 3. Thegroup routing server of claim 1, wherein the assistive communicationservice includes a language assistive communication service forproviding language translation between users having different languagesas the differing communication abilities.
 4. The group routing server ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine thecommunication abilities of the far-end user based, at least in part, ondetecting whether the incoming call is received from an Internet-basedTelecommunications Relay Service (ITRS) that provides a directory of theindividual unique IDs for audibly-impaired users or from or a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN).
 5. The group routing server of claim4, wherein the group unique ID is registered with both the ITRS and thePSTN.
 6. The group routing server of claim 1, wherein each individualunique ID and the group unique ID include at least one of a phonenumber, an IP address, and a username/domain, and combinations thereof.7. The group routing server of claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to determine the communication abilities of the far-end userbased, at least in part, on metadata sent with the incoming callindicating whether the far-end user is an audibly-impaired user.
 8. Thegroup routing server of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured todetermine the communication abilities of the far-end user based, atleast in part, on signaling of the incoming call indicating whether thefar-end user is an audibly-impaired user.
 9. The group routing server ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine thedestination communication device responsive to selections made during anautomated menu system.
 10. The group routing server of claim 9, whereinthe processor is configured to determine whether to route the incomingcall to an interactive voice response (IVR) system or an interactivevoice and video (IVVR) system as the automated menu system based, inpart, on a determination of whether the far-end user is aaudibly-impaired user.
 11. The group routing server of claim 1, whereinthe ID database includes the individual unique IDs for eachcommunication device of the plurality of communication devices as wellas whether each communication device is associated with anaudibly-impaired user or an audibly-capable user.
 12. A method ofoperating a group routing server dedicated to a defined group ofcommunication devices within an organization, the method comprising:receiving incoming calls from a far-end communication device to thegroup routing server; determining a destination communication devicefrom among the defined group of communication devices within theorganization; determining a first communication ability of a far-enduser associated with the far-end user device; determining a secondcommunication ability of a near-end user associated with the destinationcommunication device; routing the incoming call to an assistivecommunication service if the first communication ability and the secondcommunication ability are different; and routing the incoming calldirectly to the destination communication device if the firstcommunication ability and the second communication ability are the same.13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the first communicationability and the second communication ability is one of beingaudibly-impaired or audibly capable.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereindetermining the first communication ability includes detecting whetherthe incoming call is received from an Internet-based TelecommunicationsRelay Service (ITRS) that provides a directory of the individual uniqueIDs for audibly-impaired users or from or a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN).
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein determining secondcommunication ability includes querying an ID database stored in thegroup routing server having individual unique IDs and communicationabilities for each communication device of the group of communicationdevices.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the destinationcommunication device is responsive to a selection made by the far-enduser during interaction with an automated menu system.
 17. The method ofclaim 12, wherein determining the destination communication device isresponsive to automatically selecting a receptionist device as thedestination communication device for each incoming call to the groupunique ID.
 18. A method of operating a communication device that isincluded within a defined group of communication devices within anorganization serviced by a group routing server, the method comprising:receiving an incoming call routed by the group routing server to adestination communication device associated with a near-end user;entering a communication session between the destination communicationdevice and a far-end communication device that initiated the incomingcall, wherein: the communication session is routed through an assistivecommunication service if communication abilities of the near-end userand the far-end user are different; and the communication session isrouted directly to the destination communication device if communicationabilities of the near-end user and the far-end user are the same; andtransferring the call to another destination communication device withinthe organization as processed by the group routing server or anotherserver to determine whether the assistive communication service isneeded for the communication session that is transferred to the anotherdestination communication device.
 19. The method of claim 19, whereintransferring the call includes terminating the communication sessionwith a communication assistant at the assistive communication serviceduring the transfer.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein transferringthe call includes maintaining the communication session with a samecommunication assistant at the assistive communication service duringthe transfer to remain after transfer is complete.
 21. A communicationsystem specifically configured for use by audibly-impaired users toprovide interpretive services during calls involving at least oneaudibly-impaired user and at least one audibly-capable user, thecommunication system comprising: a plurality of communication devices,each having individual unique identifier (ID) and an indicationregarding whether the communication device is associated with anaudibly-impaired user or an audibly-capable user; an assistivecommunication service having communication assistants for providing signlanguage interpretive services for communication sessions involving atleast one audibly-impaired user and at least one audibly-capable user;and a group routing server having a group unique identifier (ID) for anorganization, wherein the group routing server is configured to: receiveincoming calls to the group unique ID from far-end user devices that areassociated with audibly-impaired users; receive incoming calls to thegroup unique ID from far-end user devices that are associated withaudibly-capable users; determine a destination communication device fromamong the plurality of communication devices for a specific incomingcall to be routed; route the specific incoming call directly to thedestination communication device responsive to all participants to thespecific call being determined to be audibly capable; route the specificincoming call directly to the destination communication deviceresponsive all participants to the specific call being determined to beaudibly impaired; and route the specific incoming call to the assistivecommunication service responsive at least one participant to thespecific call being determined to be audibly capable, and at least oneother participant to the specific call being determined to be audiblyimpaired.